Tips for placing your advert

When you place your advert on the Vintagebike website, you will have done the hard work, and can sit back and wait for the buyers to contact you….!

However, there are certain things that will help you find the right buyer willing to pay the right price.

Here are some handy reminders:

• Include as much information on the bike as you can.

Buyers like to feel confident that nothing is being hidden from them. The more information you provide, the more confident the buyer will feel.

• Detail the bike’s history

These bikes are old… Everyone knows they have changed hands a lot. Don’t try and hide the fact it has had 43 previous owners!

• What maintenance has been carried out?

Give as much detail as you can on improvements and maintenance that has been carried out. It all shows that you are about the bike.

• Is the price negotiable?

If the price is firm and fixed, say so. It will save you awkward discussions with buyers later on. If you are open to offers, say so — it could attract buyers who may not otherwise have been interested.

• Always use good photographs

Decent pictures will always help sell a bike. Bad pictures will always make it more difficult. Ensure the pictures are clear, in focus, and with the bike filling most of the picture. Try and avoid cluttered backgrounds — a plain garage door often makes a good backdrop.

It really is worth taking a little time to get the right photos, it could make all the difference.

You can attach up to 8 pictures to your vintagebike advert. When you upload them, make sure you attach your best picture first. This is the picture that will be used as the main picture on the website.

• Do not mislead!

The most important advice is to be honest and open with your advert. We all know how frustrating it is to travel long distances to see a motorcycle for sale, only to find out that it is not as described. This only creates bad feelings and will not help you sell your bike! If a buyer likes your bike and the price that you are selling it at, then they will buy it.

How to spot fraud, scams and con-men

Here are some questions you should ask yourself:

1. Is the offer too good to be true?

If the answer is yes, then it probably is!

2. Has the buyer been to see the bike?

If the answer is no, then think carefully. Some buyers are happy to buy without seeing a bike, but they are usually easily spotted as being genuine buyers by the discussions that are held (see point 3).

3. Has the buyer asked sensible, technical questions about the bike?

Anyone seriously interested in a classic bike will know the types of questions to ask. Anyone willing to buy a bike without knowing anything about it should not be trusted — and would you want them to buy your bike anyway?

4. Is the buyer offering more that the asking price?

Many scams involve the “buyer” offering to send bankers drafts for more than the asking price, asking the seller to give the difference to the shipping company who will be collecting the bike. These are scams and will not result in a happy ending.

5. Is the buyer from abroad?

One of the advantages of the internet is the ability to advertise your bike to reach a huge international audience. More care is needed with international sales, simply because it is easier for conmen to operate from afar. However, if all of the guidelines above are followed, then most of them should be very easy to spot. The best, failsafe way of defeating them is to use Escrow services who offer a “middleman” service ensuring that the buyer gets his bike, and the seller gets his money. If you are interested in find out more about this service, please contact me.

6. The Golden Rule

Do not release your bike until you have cash in your hand, or cleared funds in your bank.

7. What should I do if I am unsure?

If you have any doubt about any discussions that you are having, or if you come across an obvious fraud, please contact us. Any fraudsters will be removed from the site immediately. We will also be able to give you the benefit of our experience in judging whether any response you have is likely to be real.